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Author Topic: Hairline Crack in my Soapstone  (Read 852 times)

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Offline PizzaSean

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Hairline Crack in my Soapstone
« on: June 30, 2011, 09:34:03 PM »
Hi everyone,

I have used my soapstone for maybe 6 bakes or so... it is an 18" x 20" slab and I bake in a conventional oven at 550F.  Just recently I had to remove it from the oven and noticed a hairline crack running through the stone.  It's never been dropped, just figured it's from baking.  Is this something I need to worry about?  Will the crack get worse during a bake?  I don't know if I should be worried about big problems during a future bake and just wanted to run it by the crew here...  thanks so much!

Sean
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Offline scott123

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Re: Hairline Crack in my Soapstone
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2011, 10:23:24 PM »
Sean, how long is the crack?  How deep do you think it is? Sometimes soapstone gets a talc-y white vein going through it- perhaps some of the very soft talc worked it's way out during cleaning. Dave (Tampa) had a crack in his soapstone right around where he drilled into it.  When he wet it, the crack stay wet for longer than the area around it.  Try wetting it and seeing how it dries.

If the crack is absorbing moisture, you could be looking at steam expansion issues. It's not a huge issue- you just can't clean the stone with water before you use it. Either clean it dry or clean it with water the day before.
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Offline PizzaSean

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Re: Hairline Crack in my Soapstone
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2011, 06:18:22 PM »
I did not measure the crack but upon reinspection it goes through the stone to the bottom and there are actually two cracks.  The "left" side crack is shorter and goes entirely along a talc vein.  The "right" side crack is longer (probably twice as long and I'd estimate it as being about 12") and does not follow a talc vein as much.

I do see that the longer crack in particular is staying wetter than the surrounding area on the stone. 

So I'm guessing your original diagnosis stands?  Anything else I should look out for or special care I should give it?

Thanks again...
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Offline scott123

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Re: Hairline Crack in my Soapstone
« Reply #3 on: July 04, 2011, 03:45:27 AM »
Same diagnosis.  Just don't get it wet right before (or after) baking.

Dave (Tampa) previously has talked about drilling holes in  cracks to prevent them from getting worse, but I don't think this should be necessary for you.
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Offline PizzaSean

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Re: Hairline Crack in my Soapstone
« Reply #4 on: July 04, 2011, 08:51:49 AM »
Ok!  Thanks for the advice....
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Offline Tampa

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Re: Hairline Crack in my Soapstone
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2011, 12:17:20 PM »
PizzaSean,

IMO, soapstone always cracks.  To minimize the crack propagaton you can drill a hole, with a standard 1/8” bit, just ahead of the crack.  They use to do this on aluminum aircraft.  The idea is that a circular hole distributes the stress around the circle edge which otherwise would be concentrated on a specific spot causing the crack to continue.  They also use(d) this trick on windshield cracks.  Be sure you are slightly ahead of the crack, or it doesn't help.

Hopefully your stone is supported in the oven.  If so, the crack(s) are less of a concern.  On the other hand, if the soapstone is it's own structure - meaning it spans from side to side w/o support - a crack could be an issue.  I'm guessing it wouldn't fail when heated, but when the stone cools and shrinks, it could fall and those buggers are heavy.

Dave
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